The Farm Museum owns the 3 steam traction engines shown here. It was common in their era for traction engines and early model gasoline powered tractors to have model designations related to their horsepower capabilities. The first number in the model number designates the horsepower the engine can provide at the "drawbar" which is the tow hitch on the rear for pulling loads. The second number indicates the horsepower available at the belt pulley which is used to power belt driven equipment. The rating is higher at the pulley because it is driven directly off of the engine's crankshaft. Power at the drawbar for pulling is less because horsepower is "lost" through the mechanical inefficiencies of the gear drive to the wheels. Horsepower is also consumed just to move the massive tractor itself.
The Museum's 19-65 Port Huron and the Baker are functional engines and are used several times a year for parades, threshing and saw mill demonstrations. Seeing the machines displayed is neat, but seeing and hearing them operate (including the whistles) is awesome!
Because of the extreme danger of pressurized steam, all steam boilers in Michigan must be inspected and tested to state regulations before receiving
certification to allow legal operation. The Museum's engines are no exception. Both are meticulously maintained and operated by experienced Museum members.
Even though safety regulating organizations such as OSHA were not around when these machines were built, the design engineers understood the potential danger of steam pressure. As a result, the engineers of the time incorporated a pressure relief valve calibrated to open before steam pressure nears a dangerous level. The boiler also has a thermal plug that will melt when the water in the boiler gets too low. Low water level means higher temperatures are passed to the metal parts potentially causing unsafe structural distortion or damage. When the plug melts, it allows steam from the boiler into the fire box thus extinguishing the fire and reducing boiler pressure.. |
